Access network node, core network node, and paging method

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the communications field and disclose an access network node, a core network node, and a paging method, for use in a paging process, so as to resolve a problem that a machine to machine (M2M) service cannot be normally used because a network side cannot determine whether a coverage enhancement technology needs to be used in a paging process. In an embodiment, a communications interface is configured to receive a first packet paging message sent by a core network node; a processor determines, according to the first packet paging message received by using the communications interface, that a terminal is an M2M terminal; and a transmitter sends a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/CN2014/085336, filed on Aug. 27, 2014, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the communicationsfield, and in particular, to an access network node, a core networknode, and a paging method.

BACKGROUND

With development of Internet of Things, machine to machine (M2M)services emerge. Communication between machines may be implemented byusing the M2M services and a wireless network bearer. Currently, the M2Mservices are widely used in fields such as intelligent power,intelligent transportation, and smart household. For example, in theintelligent power field, a remote meter reading service may beimplemented by using an M2M terminal.

As is well known, if no packet data needs to be transmitted between anM2M terminal and a network side before a T3314 timer expires, theterminal changes from a ready state to a standby state. After the M2Mterminal enters a standby state, if the network side needs to sendpacket data to the M2M terminal, the network side first needs to pagethe M2M terminal to establish a connection to the M2M terminal, and thensends the packet data to the M2M terminal. Because the M2M terminal isusually deployed in airtight space such as a basement, to successfullypage the M2M terminal, the network side needs to use a coverageenhancement technology in a process of paging the M2M terminal.

In the prior art, when a network side needs to send downlinkinformation, whether the coverage enhancement technology needs to beused for sending the downlink information may be determined according touplink information sent by a terminal. However, before the network sideperforms paging, an M2M terminal does not send any uplink information tothe network side. Therefore, the network side cannot determine whetherthe coverage enhancement technology needs to be used in a pagingprocess, and normal use of an M2M service cannot be ensured.

SUMMARY

The embodiments of the present invention provide an access network node,a core network node, and a paging method, so as to resolve a problemthat an M2M service cannot be normally used because a network sidecannot determine whether a coverage enhancement technology needs to beused in a paging process.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the following technical solutionsare used in the embodiments of the present invention.

According to a first embodiment of the present invention, an accessnetwork node is provided and includes a communications interface, aprocessor, and a transmitter, where:

the communications interface is configured to receive a first packetpaging message sent by a core network node, where the first packetpaging message is used for paging a terminal;

the processor is configured to determine, according to the first packetpaging message received by using the communications interface, that theterminal is a machine to machine (M2M) terminal; and

the transmitter is configured to send a coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message to the terminal.

With reference to the first embodiment of the present invention, in afirst possible implementation manner, the first packet paging messageincludes terminal information of the terminal, and the terminalinformation includes a terminal type; and

the processor is specifically configured to determine, according to theterminal type included in the terminal information, that the terminal isthe M2M terminal.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the firstembodiment of the present invention, in a second possible implementationmanner, the terminal information further includes a terminal coveragelevel, and the coverage level is used by the access network node todetermine a coverage enhancement level when the access network nodepages the terminal; and

the transmitter is specifically configured to send the coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message to the terminal according to the terminalcoverage level.

With reference to the second possible implementation manner of the firstembodiment of the present invention, in a third possible implementationmanner, the access network node further includes a receiver, where:

the receiver is configured to receive a new coverage level sent by theterminal, and the communications interface is further configured tosend, to the core network node, the new coverage level received by thereceiver; or

the receiver is configured to receive coverage information sent by theterminal, the processor is further configured to determine a newcoverage level according to the coverage information received by thereceiver, and the communications interface is further configured tosend, to the core network node, the new coverage level obtained by theprocessor; or

the receiver is configured to receive coverage information sent by theterminal, and the communications interface is further configured tosend, to the core network node, the coverage information received by thereceiver.

With reference to the first embodiment of the present invention, in afourth possible implementation manner, the first packet paging messageincludes an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of theterminal; and

the processor is specifically configured to: obtain a terminal typeaccording to the IMSI and a pre-stored mapping table, where the mappingtable includes the IMSI and the terminal type corresponding to the IMSI;and determine, according to the terminal type, that the terminal is theM2M terminal.

With reference to the fourth possible implementation manner of the firstembodiment of the present invention, in a fifth possible implementationmanner, the mapping table further includes a terminal coverage levelcorresponding to the IMSI; and

the transmitter is specifically configured to obtain the terminalcoverage level according to the IMSI and the mapping table, and send thecoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal accordingto the terminal coverage level.

With reference to the fifth possible implementation manner of the firstembodiment of the present invention, in a sixth possible implementationmanner, the access network node further comprises a receiver, thereceiver is further configured to receive a new coverage level sent bythe terminal, and the processor is further configured to update theterminal coverage level in the mapping table according to the newcoverage level received by the receiver; or

the receiver is further configured to receive coverage information sentby the terminal, and the processor is further configured to determine anew coverage level according to the coverage information received by thereceiver, and update the terminal coverage level in the mapping tableaccording to the new coverage level.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a corenetwork node is provided and includes a communications interface, where:

the communications interface is configured to send a first packet pagingmessage to an access network node, where the first packet paging messageis used for paging a terminal, the first packet paging message includesterminal information of the terminal, and the terminal informationincludes a terminal type.

With reference to the second embodiment of the present invention, in afirst possible implementation manner, the terminal information furtherincludes a terminal coverage level, and the coverage level is used bythe access network node to determine a coverage enhancement level whenthe access network node pages the terminal.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the secondembodiment of the present invention, in a second possible implementationmanner, the core network node further includes a processor, where:

the processor is configured to obtain the terminal information accordingto an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the terminaland a pre-stored mapping table before the first packet paging message issent to the access network node by using the communications interface,where the mapping table includes the IMSI and the terminal informationthat corresponds to the IMSI and that is of the terminal.

With reference to the second possible implementation manner of thesecond embodiment of the present invention, in a third possibleimplementation manner,

the communications interface is further configured to receive a newcoverage level sent by the access network node, and the processor isfurther configured to update the terminal coverage level in the terminalinformation according to the new coverage level received by using thecommunications interface; or

the communications interface is further configured to receive coverageinformation sent by the access network node, and the processor isfurther configured to determine a new coverage level according to thecoverage information received by using the communications interface, andupdate the terminal coverage level in the terminal information accordingto the new coverage level.

According to a third embodiment of the present invention, a pagingmethod is provided and includes:

receiving, by an access network node, a first packet paging message sentby a core network node, where the first packet paging message is usedfor paging a terminal;

determining, by the access network node according to the first packetpaging message, that the terminal is a machine to machine (M2M)terminal; and

sending, by the access network node, a coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message to the terminal.

With reference to the third embodiment of the present invention, in afirst possible implementation manner, the first packet paging messageincludes terminal information of the terminal, and the terminalinformation includes a terminal type; and

the determining, by the access network node according to the firstpacket paging message, that the terminal is a machine to machine (M2M)terminal includes:

determining, by the access network node according to the terminal typeincluded in the terminal information, that the terminal is the M2Mterminal.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the thirdembodiment of the present invention, in a second possible implementationmanner, the terminal information further includes a terminal coveragelevel, and the coverage level is used by the access network node todetermine a coverage enhancement level when the access network nodepages the terminal; and

the sending, by the access network node, a coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message to the terminal includes:

sending, by the access network node, the coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message to the terminal according to the terminal coverage level.

With reference to the second possible implementation manner of the thirdembodiment of the present invention, in a third possible implementationmanner, the method further includes:

receiving, by the access network node, a new coverage level sent by theterminal, and sending the new coverage level to the core network node;or

receiving, by the access network node, coverage information sent by theterminal, determining a new coverage level according to the coverageinformation, and sending the new coverage level to the core networknode; or

receiving, by the access network node, coverage information sent by theterminal, and sending the coverage information to the core network node.

With reference to the third embodiment of the present invention, in afourth possible implementation manner, the first packet paging messageincludes an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of theterminal; and

the determining, by the access network node according to the firstpacket paging message, that the terminal is a machine to machine (M2M)terminal includes:

obtaining, by the access network node, a terminal type according to theIMSI and a pre-stored mapping table, where the mapping table includesthe IMSI and the terminal type corresponding to the IMSI; and

determining, by the access network node according to the terminal type,that the terminal is the M2M terminal.

With reference to the fourth possible implementation manner of the thirdembodiment of the present invention, in a fifth possible implementationmanner, the mapping table further includes a terminal coverage levelcorresponding to the IMSI; and

the sending, by the access network node, a coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message to the terminal includes:

obtaining, by the access network node, the terminal coverage levelaccording to the IMSI and the mapping table; and

sending, by the access network node, the coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message to the terminal according to the terminal coverage level.

With reference to the fifth possible implementation manner of the thirdembodiment of the present invention, in a sixth possible implementationmanner, the method further includes:

receiving, by the access network node, a new coverage level sent by theterminal; or receiving, by the access network node, coverage informationsent by the terminal, and determining a new coverage level according tothe coverage information; and

updating, by the access network node, the terminal coverage level in themapping table according to the new coverage level.

According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a pagingmethod is provided and includes:

sending, by a core network node, a first packet paging message to anaccess network node, where the first packet paging message is used forpaging a terminal, the first packet paging message includes terminalinformation of the terminal, and the terminal information includes aterminal type.

With reference to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, in afirst possible implementation manner, the terminal information furtherincludes a terminal coverage level, and the coverage level is used bythe access network node to determine a coverage enhancement level whenthe access network node pages the terminal.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the fourthembodiment of the present invention, in a second possible implementationmanner, before the sending, by a core network node, a first packetpaging message to an access network node, the method further includes:

obtaining, by the core network node, the terminal information accordingto an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the terminaland a pre-stored mapping table, where the mapping table includes theIMSI and the terminal information that corresponds to the IMSI and thatis of the terminal.

With reference to the second possible implementation manner of thefourth embodiment of the present invention, in a third possibleimplementation manner, the method further includes:

receiving, by the core network node, a new coverage level sent by theaccess network node; or receiving coverage information sent by theaccess network node, and determining a new coverage level according tothe coverage information; and

updating, by the core network node, the terminal coverage level in theterminal information according to the new coverage level.

According to the access network node, the core network node, and thepaging method that are provided in the embodiments of the presentinvention, after receiving a first packet paging message sent by thecore network node, the access network node can determine, according tothe first packet paging message, whether a paged terminal is an M2Mterminal, and send a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message tothe terminal after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal. The access network node can determine a type of the pagedterminal by using the first packet paging message sent by the corenetwork node, and send a corresponding second packet paging message tothe terminal according to the determined type of the terminal.Therefore, after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal, the access network node sends the coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message to the terminal, and normal use of an M2M serviceof the terminal is ensured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the presentinvention or in the prior art more clearly, the following brieflydescribes the accompanying drawings required for describing theembodiments or the prior art. Apparently, the accompanying drawings inthe following description show merely some embodiments of the presentinvention, and a person of ordinary skill in the art may still deriveother drawings from these accompanying drawings without creativeefforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic composition diagram of an access network nodeaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic composition diagram of another access network nodeaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic composition diagram of a core network nodeaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic composition diagram of another core network nodeaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a paging method according to another embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a paging method according to another embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a paging method according to another embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of routing area update according to anotherembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another paging method according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following clearly describes the technical solutions in theembodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Apparently, thedescribed embodiments are merely some but not all of the embodiments ofthe present invention. All other embodiments obtained by a person ofordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the presentinvention without creative efforts shall fall within the protectionscope of the present invention.

In addition, the terms “system” and “network” may be usedinterchangeably in this specification. The term “and/or” in thisspecification describes only an association relationship for associatedobjects and represents that three relationships may exist. For example,A and/or B may represent the following three cases: Only A exists, bothA and B exist, and only B exists. In addition, the character “/” in thisspecification generally indicates an “or” relationship between theassociated objects.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an access network node.As shown in FIG. 1, the access network node may include a communicationsinterface 11, a processor 12, and a transmitter 13.

The communications interface 11 is configured to receive a first packetpaging message sent by a core network node, and the first packet pagingmessage is used for paging a terminal.

The processor 12 is configured to determine, according to the firstpacket paging message received by using the communications interface 11,that the terminal is an M2M terminal.

The transmitter 13 is configured to send a coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message to the terminal.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the first packet pagingmessage further includes terminal information of the terminal, and theterminal information includes a terminal type.

The processor 12 is specifically configured to determine, according tothe terminal type included in the terminal information, that theterminal is the M2M terminal.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the terminal informationfurther includes a terminal coverage level, and the coverage level isused by the access network node to determine a coverage enhancementlevel when the access network node pages the terminal.

The transmitter 13 is specifically configured to send thecoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal accordingto the terminal coverage level.

In this embodiment of the present invention, further, as shown in FIG.2, the access network node may further include a receiver 14.

The receiver 14 is configured to receive a new coverage level sent bythe terminal, and the communications interface 11 is further configuredto send, to the core network node, the new coverage level received bythe receiver 14; or

the receiver 14 is configured to receive coverage information sent bythe terminal, the processor 12 is further configured to determine a newcoverage level according to the coverage information received by thereceiver 14, and the communications interface 11 is further configuredto send, to the core network node, the new coverage level obtained bythe processor 12; or

the receiver 14 is configured to receive coverage information sent bythe terminal, and the communications interface 11 is further configuredto send, to the core network node, the coverage information received bythe receiver 14.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the first packet pagingmessage further includes an international mobile subscriber identity(IMSI) of the terminal. The processor 12 is specifically configured toobtain a terminal type according to the IMSI and a pre-stored mappingtable, and determine, according to the obtained terminal type, that theterminal is the M2M terminal. The mapping table includes the IMSI andthe terminal type corresponding to the IMSI.

In this embodiment of the present invention, further, the mapping tablefurther includes a terminal coverage level corresponding to the IMSI.

The transmitter 13 is specifically configured to obtain the terminalcoverage level according to the IMSI and the mapping table, and send thecoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal accordingto the terminal coverage level.

In this embodiment of the present invention, further, the receiver 14 isfurther configured to receive a new coverage level sent by the terminal,and the processor 12 is further configured to update the terminalcoverage level in the mapping table according to the new coverage levelreceived by the receiver 14; or

the receiver 14 is further configured to receive coverage informationsent by the terminal, and the processor 12 is further configured todetermine a new coverage level according to the coverage informationreceived by the receiver 14, and update the terminal coverage level inthe mapping table according to the determined new coverage level.

It should be noted that, for specific descriptions of function modulesin the access network node provided in this embodiment of the presentinvention, refer to specific descriptions of corresponding content inmethod embodiments. Details are not described in this embodiment of thepresent invention.

According to the access network node provided in this embodiment of thepresent invention, after a first packet paging message sent by a corenetwork node is received, whether a paged terminal is an M2M terminalmay be determined according to the first packet paging message, andafter the paged terminal is determined as the M2M terminal, acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message is sent to the terminal.The access network node can determine a type of the paged terminal byusing the first packet paging message sent by the core network node, andsend a corresponding second packet paging message to the terminalaccording to the determined type of the terminal. Therefore, afterdetermining that the paged terminal is the M2M terminal, the accessnetwork node sends the coverage-enhanced second packet paging message tothe terminal, and normal use of an M2M service of the terminal isensured.

In addition, the first packet paging message sent by the core networknode to the access network node may further include a terminal coveragelevel. After receiving the first packet paging message, the accessnetwork node may send the coverage-enhanced second packet paging messageto the terminal according to the terminal coverage level included in thefirst packet paging message. Alternatively, when a mapping table furtherincludes a terminal coverage level, the access network node candetermine, according to an IMSI that is included in the first packetpaging message sent by the core network node and that is of theterminal, the coverage level of the terminal that needs to be paged. Inthis way, the access network node may send a coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message of a corresponding level to the terminal accordingto the obtained terminal coverage level. The access network node sendsthe coverage-enhanced second packet paging message of the correspondinglevel to the terminal according to a coverage requirement of theterminal, so that a paging success rate of the M2M terminal isincreased, and the normal use of the M2M service of the terminal isfurther ensured.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a core networknode. As shown in FIG. 3, the core network node may include acommunications interface 21.

The communications interface 21 is configured to send a first packetpaging message to an access network node, where the first packet pagingmessage is used for paging a terminal, the first packet paging messageincludes terminal information of the terminal, and the terminalinformation includes a terminal type.

In this embodiment of the present invention, further, the terminalinformation further includes a terminal coverage level, and the coveragelevel is used by the access network node to determine a coverageenhancement level when the access network node pages the terminal.

In this embodiment of the present invention, further, as shown in FIG.4, the core network node may further include a processor 22.

The processor 22 is configured to obtain the terminal informationaccording to an IMSI of the terminal and a pre-stored mapping tablebefore the first packet paging message is sent to the access networknode by using the communications interface 21. The mapping tableincludes the IMSI and the terminal information that corresponds to theIMSI and that is of the terminal.

In this embodiment of the present invention, further, the communicationsinterface 21 is further configured to receive a new coverage level sentby the access network node, and the processor 22 is further configuredto update the terminal coverage level in the terminal informationaccording to the new coverage level received by using the communicationsinterface 21; or the communications interface 21 is further configuredto receive coverage information sent by the access network node, and theprocessor 22 is further configured to determine a new coverage levelaccording to the coverage information received by using thecommunications interface 21, and update the terminal coverage level inthe terminal information according to the determined new coverage level.

It should be noted that, for specific descriptions of function modulesin the core network node provided in this embodiment of the presentinvention, refer to specific descriptions of corresponding content inmethod embodiments. Details are not described in this embodiment of thepresent invention.

According to the core network node provided in this embodiment of thepresent invention, a first packet paging message including terminalinformation is sent to an access network node, so that after receivingthe first packet paging message sent by the core network node, theaccess network node can determine, according to the terminal informationthat is carried in the first packet paging message and that includes aterminal type, whether a paged terminal is an M2M terminal, and send acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal afterdetermining that the paged terminal is the M2M terminal. The firstpacket paging message sent by the core network node to the accessnetwork node includes the type of the paged terminal, so that the accessnetwork node can determine the type of the paged terminal according tothe received first packet paging message, and send a correspondingsecond packet paging message to the terminal according to the determinedtype of the terminal. Therefore, after determining that the pagedterminal is the M2M terminal, the access network node sends thecoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal, andnormal use of an M2M service of the terminal is ensured.

In addition, the first packet paging message sent by the core networknode to the access network node may further include a terminal coveragelevel. After receiving the first packet paging message, the accessnetwork node may send the coverage-enhanced second packet paging messageto the terminal according to the terminal coverage level included in thefirst packet paging message. In this way, the access network node maysend a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message of a correspondinglevel to the terminal according to a coverage requirement of theterminal, so that a paging success rate of the M2M terminal isincreased, and the normal use of the M2M service of the terminal isfurther ensured.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a paging method. Asshown in FIG. 5, the method may include the following steps.

S301. An access network node receives a first packet paging message sentby a core network node.

The first packet paging message is used for paging a terminal, and thefirst packet paging message includes information used to determine thatthe paged terminal is an M2M terminal.

S302. The access network node determines, according to the first packetpaging message, that a terminal is an M2M terminal.

After receiving the first packet paging message sent by the core networknode, the access network node can determine, according to the firstpacket paging message, whether the terminal paged by the core networknode is the M2M terminal. After the terminal paged by the core networknode is determined as the M2M terminal, perform S303. Specifically, theaccess network node may determine, according to the information that isincluded in the first packet paging message and that is used todetermine that the paged terminal is the M2M terminal, whether theterminal paged by the core network node is the M2M terminal.

S303. The access network node sends a coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message to the terminal.

Because the M2M terminal is usually deployed in airtight space such as abasement, to successfully page the M2M terminal, the access network nodemay send the coverage-enhanced second packet paging message to theterminal after determining that the terminal paged by the core networknode is the M2M terminal, so that the terminal is successfully paged,and normal use of an M2M service running on the terminal is ensured.

According to the paging method provided in this embodiment of thepresent invention, after receiving a first packet paging message sent bya core network node, an access network node can determine, according tothe first packet paging message, whether a paged terminal is an M2Mterminal, and send a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message tothe terminal after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal. The access network node can determine a type of the pagedterminal by using the first packet paging message sent by the corenetwork node, and send a corresponding second packet paging message tothe terminal according to the determined type of the terminal.Therefore, after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal, the access network node sends the coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message to the terminal, and normal use of an M2M serviceof the terminal is ensured.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a paging method. Asshown in FIG. 6, the method may include the following step:

S401. A core network node sends a first packet paging message to anaccess network node.

The first packet paging message is used for paging a terminal, the firstpacket paging message includes terminal information of the pagedterminal, and the terminal information includes a type of the pagedterminal. Because an M2M terminal is usually deployed in airtight spacesuch as a basement, to successfully page the M2M terminal, the corenetwork node may add the type of the paged terminal to the first packetpaging message sent to the access network node. After receiving thefirst packet paging message, the access network node can determine,according to the terminal type included in the first packet pagingmessage, whether the paged terminal is an M2M terminal, and send acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal afterdetermining that the paged terminal is the M2M terminal, so that theterminal is successfully paged, and normal use of an M2M service of theterminal is ensured.

According to the paging method provided in this embodiment of thepresent invention, a core network node may send a first packet pagingmessage including a terminal type to an access network node, so thatafter receiving the first packet paging message sent by the core networknode, the access network node can determine, according to the firstpacket paging message, whether a paged terminal is an M2M terminal, andsend a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminalafter determining that the paged terminal is the M2M terminal. The firstpacket paging message sent by the core network node to the accessnetwork node includes the type of the paged terminal, so that the accessnetwork node can determine, according to the received first packetpaging message, the type of the paged terminal, and send a correspondingsecond packet paging message to the terminal according to the determinedtype of the terminal. Therefore, after determining that the pagedterminal is the M2M terminal, the access network node sends thecoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal, andnormal use of an M2M service of the terminal is ensured.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a paging method. Asis well known, an M2M terminal is usually deployed in airtight spacesuch as a basement. To successfully page an M2M terminal, an accessnetwork node needs to use a coverage enhancement technology in a processof paging the M2M terminal. However, the access network node does notknow whether a type of a paged terminal is the M2M terminal in thepaging process. Therefore, the access network node cannot determinewhether the coverage enhancement technology needs to be used, andconsequently, an M2M service cannot be normally used. To ensure normaluse of the M2M service, in one application scenario, information that isincluded in a first packet paging message and that is used to determinethat the paged terminal is the M2M terminal is terminal information ofthe terminal. In this case, the access network node can determine thetype of the paged terminal according to the terminal information that isincluded in the received first packet paging message and that is of theterminal, and send a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message tothe terminal after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, this method may include thefollowing steps.

S501. A core network node obtains terminal information according to anIMSI of a terminal and a pre-stored mapping table.

The pre-stored mapping table in the core network node includes the IMSIof the terminal and the terminal information that corresponds to theIMSI and that is of the terminal, and the terminal information mayinclude a terminal type.

The core network node may obtain, according to registration informationof the terminal, the IMSI of the terminal and the terminal typecorresponding to the IMSI, and store, in the terminal information in themapping table, the obtained IMSI of the terminal and the obtainedterminal type corresponding to the IMSI.

For example, the IMSI of the terminal and the terminal typecorresponding to the IMSI may be obtained by the core network nodeaccording to subscription information of the terminal, or the IMSI ofthe terminal and the terminal type corresponding to the IMSI may beobtained according to an upper-layer service used by the terminal. Amanner for obtaining the IMSI of the terminal and the terminal typecorresponding to the IMSI is not specifically limited in this embodimentof the present invention.

Further, the terminal information may further include a terminalcoverage level, that is, the mapping table may further include aterminal coverage level corresponding to the IMSI. The coverage level isused by the access network node to determine a coverage enhancementlevel when the access network node pages the terminal.

The core network node may obtain the terminal coverage levelcorresponding to the IMSI of the terminal when the terminal accesses anetwork, and store, in the terminal information in the mapping table,the obtained terminal coverage level corresponding to the IMSI. Afterthe terminal accesses the network, the terminal coverage level maychange. Therefore, the core network node needs to update the terminalcoverage level that is in the terminal information and that correspondsto the IMSI of the terminal. Specifically, when the terminal coveragelevel changes, the core network node may obtain, in any one of thefollowing manners, a new coverage level that is of the terminal and thatcorresponds to the IMSI of the terminal, and then update, according tothe new coverage level, the terminal coverage level that is in theterminal information and that corresponds to the IMSI of the terminal.

Manner 1: The core network node receives a new coverage level sent bythe access network node, and updates the terminal coverage level in theterminal information according to the received new coverage level.

In a possible implementation manner, a manner for receiving, by the corenetwork node, the new coverage level sent by the access network node isas follows: The access network node receives a new coverage level sentby the terminal, and then sends the received new coverage level to thecore network node. In this case, the core network node can receive thenew coverage level sent by the access network node. Specifically, thenew coverage level sent by the access network node may be obtained bythe core network node in any one of the following procedures.

Procedure 1: The new coverage level sent by the access network node maybe obtained by the core network node in a routing area update procedure.The routing area update procedure may be triggered in the followingmanners: The terminal detects a routing area change, or the terminalenables a general packet radio service technology (GPRS) service again,or the terminal needs to use a new wireless access capability to updatethe network, or the terminal periodically notifies the network ofaccessibility of the terminal. For example, the routing area updateprocedure may be shown in FIG. 8.

1. The terminal sends a Routing Area Update Request message to the corenetwork node by means of the access network node.

2. If the core network node allows the terminal to be attached to a newrouting area, mobility management (MM) context of the terminal may beupdated, a new packet-temporary mobile subscriber identity (P-TMSI) isallocated to the terminal, and a Routing Area Update Accept message issent to the terminal by means of the access network node.

3. If the terminal receives the P-TMSI allocated by the core networknode, that is, the P-TMSI is successfully allocated, the terminal sendsa Routing Area Update Complete message to the core network node by meansof the access network node.

In the routing area update procedure shown in FIG. 8, the terminal mayreport the new coverage level of the terminal to the core network nodeby adding an optional information element to the Routing Area UpdateRequest message or a Routing Area Update Complete message. That is, theterminal may add, to the Routing Area Update Request message or theRouting Area Update Complete message, the optional information elementthat carries the new coverage level of the terminal, so as to report thenew coverage level of the terminal to the core network node.

Procedure 2: The new coverage level sent by the access network node maybe obtained by the core network node in a cell update procedure. Whenthe terminal is in a ready state under an idle mode or a transmissionmode, and a cell in which the terminal is located changes, but a routingarea in which the terminal is located does not change, the terminaltriggers the cell update procedure.

For example, when the terminal is in the ready state under the idlemode, and the cell in which the terminal is located changes, but therouting area in which the terminal is located does not change, the cellupdate procedure initiated by the terminal may be specifically asfollows: The terminal sends any message to the access network node, andafter receiving the any message, the access network node adds a cellglobal identity to the any message, and sends the any message to thecore network node. After the core network node receives the any messagethat carries the cell global identity, if the core network nodediscovers that the cell global identity carried in the any message isinconsistent with a cell global identity that is stored in the corenetwork node and that corresponds to the terminal, the core network nodedetermines that the terminal initiates the cell update procedure.Alternatively, to be simpler, the cell update procedure initiated by theterminal may be specifically as follows: The terminal sends a specificmessage to the core network node by means of the access network node, soas to initiate the cell update procedure.

When the terminal initiates the cell update procedure by sending anymessage, the terminal may add the new coverage level of the terminal tothe any message, and send the any message to the core network node bymeans of the access network node, so that the core network node obtainsthe new coverage level of the terminal according to the received anymessage. When the terminal initiates the cell update procedure bysending a specific message, the terminal may add the new coverage levelof the terminal to the specific message, and send the specific messageto the core network node by means of the access network node, so thatthe core network node obtains the new coverage level of the terminalaccording to the received specific message.

For example, when the terminal is in the ready state under thetransmission mode, and the cell in which the terminal is locatedchanges, but the routing area in which the terminal is located does notchange, the cell update procedure initiated by the terminal may bespecifically as follows: The terminal sends a Cell Update message to thecore network node by means of the access network node, to initiate thecell update procedure. The Cell Update message is sent by the terminalafter a more appropriate neighboring cell is discovered by means ofmeasurement in a packet transmission process.

The terminal may add the new coverage level of the terminal to the CellUpdate message, and send the message to the core network node by meansof the access network node, so that the core network node obtains thenew coverage level of the terminal according to the received Cell Updatemessage.

Procedure 3: The new coverage level sent by the access network node maybe obtained by the core network node in a random access procedure. Afterthe terminal is blocked by an obstacle or the terminal in an idle stateperforms cell reselection, the terminal needs a higher coverage level toensure relatively good service transmission. In this case, the terminalmay actively trigger the random access procedure by detecting a signalstrength change.

In the random access procedure, the terminal may add the new coveragelevel of the terminal to a message in the random access procedure, andsend the message to the core network node by means of the access networknode, so that the core network node obtains the new coverage level ofthe terminal according to the received message. For example, theterminal may add the new coverage level of the terminal to a packet dataunit (PDU) message, and send the PDU message to the core network node bymeans of the access network node, so that the core network node obtainsthe new coverage level of the terminal according to the receivedmessage.

In another possible implementation manner, a manner for receiving, bythe core network node, the new coverage level sent by the access networknode is as follows: The access network node receives coverageinformation sent by the terminal, determines a new coverage levelaccording to the received coverage information, and then sends the newcoverage level to the core network node. In this case, the core networknode can receive the new coverage level sent by the access network node.Specifically, a specific process of determining the new coverage levelof the terminal by the access network node according to the coverageinformation sent by the terminal is as follows: the access network nodemay obtain the coverage information of the terminal in at least one ofthe routing area update procedure, the cell update procedure, or therandom access procedure that are described in manner 1, and determinethe new coverage level of the terminal according to the obtainedcoverage information of the terminal. For example, when the coverageinformation of the terminal is a receive level of a signal, if thecoverage information that is of the terminal and that is obtained by theaccess network node in the cell update procedure is −90 dBm, itindicates that the terminal is in an extremely poor coverageenvironment. In this case, the access network node may determine a newcoverage level of the terminal according to the coverage information,for example, the new coverage level may be 20 dB coverage enhancement.

Manner 2: The core network node receives coverage information sent bythe access network node, determines a new coverage level according tothe received coverage information, and then updates the terminalcoverage level according to the determined new coverage level.

In a possible implementation manner, a manner for receiving, by the corenetwork node, the coverage information sent by the access network nodemay be as follows: The access network node receives coverage informationsent by the terminal, and sends the coverage information to the corenetwork node. In this case, the core network node can receive thecoverage information sent by the access network node.

The core network node may obtain the coverage information of theterminal in at least one of the routing area update procedure, the cellupdate procedure, or the random access procedure that are described inmanner 1, and determine the new coverage level of the terminal accordingto the obtained coverage information.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the present invention,obtaining the coverage information of the terminal or the new coveragelevel of the terminal by the core network node in at least one of therouting area update procedure, the cell update procedure, or the randomaccess procedure is only used as an example to describe how the corenetwork node obtains the new coverage level of the terminal. Certainly,the core network node may obtain the coverage information of theterminal or the new coverage level of the terminal in another procedureperformed between the core network node and the terminal. A process ofobtaining the coverage information of the terminal or the new coveragelevel of the terminal by the core network node is not specificallylimited in this embodiment of the present invention.

S502. The core network node sends a first packet paging message to theaccess network node.

The first packet paging message is used for paging the terminal, thefirst packet paging message includes the terminal information of theterminal, and the terminal information may include the terminal type.

Further, when the mapping table includes a terminal coverage levelcorresponding to the IMSI of the terminal, the terminal information mayfurther include the terminal coverage level.

For example, specific content included in the first packet pagingmessage may be shown in table 1.

TABLE 1 Information elements Type/Reference Presence Format Length PDUtype PDU type M V 1 IMSI IMSI M TLV 5-10 DRX Parameters DRX Parameters OTLV 4 BVCI BVCI C TLV 4 Location Area Location Area C TLV 7 Routing AreaRouting Area C TLV 8 BSS Area Indication BSS Area Indication C TLV 3(note) PFI PFI O TLV 3 ABQP ABQP O TLV 13-? QoS Profile QoS Profile MTLV 5 P-TMSI TMSI O TLV 6 Terminal Terminal O TLV 3 InformationInformation

In table 1, the Information elements column shows information elementsincluded in the first packet paging message. The Type/Reference columnindicates types of the information elements included in the first packetpaging message. The Presence column indicates whether the informationelements included in the first packet paging message are mandatory. Inthe Presence column, O indicates that the information element isoptional, M indicates that the information element is mandatory, and Cindicates that the information element is conditional. The Format columnindicates formats of the information elements included in the firstpacket paging message. In this column, TLV indicates that the format ofthe information element includes a type, a length, and a value, and Vindicates that the format of the information element is a value. TheLength column indicates lengths of the information elements included inthe first packet paging message, and a length unit is a byte.

It can be learned from table 1 that the information elements included inthe first packet paging message sent by the core network node to theaccess network node may be a PDU type, an IMSI, discontinuous reception(DRX) parameters, a Base Station Subsystem GPRS protocol virtualconnection identifier (BVCI), a Location Area, a Routing Area, a basestation system area indication (BSS area indication), a packet flowidentifier (PFI), an aggregate base station system quality of serviceprofile (ABQP), a quality of service profile (QoS profile), a P-TMSI,and terminal information. A format of the terminal information may be aTLV format, and a length of the terminal information is 3 bytes.

When the terminal information includes the terminal type, a compositionmanner of the terminal information may be shown in table 2.

TABLE 2 Bit 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Octet 1 Information Element Identifier (IEIfor short) Octet 2, 2a Length Indicator Octet 3 Reserved Terminal Type

The octet 1 is used to indicate an IEI of the terminal information. Forexample, the IEI of the terminal information may be X90. The octets 2and 2a are used to indicate a length of information content included inthe terminal information. The octet 3 is used to indicate theinformation content included in the terminal information. For example, 3low-order bits may be used to indicate the terminal type, and theremaining 5 bits may be reserved and used to subsequently indicate otherinformation of the terminal. Specifically, a correspondence between theterminal type and code including 3 bits may be shown in table 3.

TABLE 3 Code Semantic 000 Normal terminal 001 M2M terminal OtherReserved

When the terminal information includes the terminal type and theterminal coverage level, a composition manner of the terminalinformation may be shown in table 4.

TABLE 4 Bit 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Octet 1 IEI Octet 2, 2a Length IndicatorOctet 3 Reserved Coverage level Terminal Type (Coverage Class)

In table 4, 3 low-order bits may be used to indicate the terminal type,3 bits from the fourth bit to the sixth bit are used to indicate theterminal coverage level, and the remaining 2 bits are reserved bits andused to subsequently indicate other information of the terminal.Specifically, the correspondence between the terminal type and codeincluding the 3 low-order bits may be shown in table 3, and acorrespondence between the terminal coverage level and code includingthe 3 bits from the fourth bit to the sixth bit may be shown in table 5.

TABLE 5 Coding Semantic 000 No need of coverage enhancement 001 10 dBcoverage enhancement 010 20 dB coverage enhancement Other Reserved

S503. The access network node receives the first packet paging messagesent by the core network node.

After the access network node receives the first packet paging messagesent by the core network node, that the access network node determines,according to the first packet paging message, that the terminal is theM2M terminal may specifically include S504.

S504. The access network node determines, according to a terminal typeincluded in the terminal information, that a terminal is an M2Mterminal.

The access network node may determine, according to the terminalinformation that is carried in the first packet paging message and thatincludes the terminal type, whether the terminal is the M2M terminal.After the terminal is determined as the M2M terminal, perform S505. Whenthe access network node determines that the terminal is a normalterminal, the access network node may send a non-coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message to the terminal.

For example, a process of determining, by the access network nodeaccording to the terminal type included in the first packet pagingmessage, whether the terminal is an M2M terminal may be as follows: Whenthe composition manner of the terminal information in the first packetpaging message received by the access network node is shown in table 2,if code including 3 low-order bits of the octet 3 in the terminalinformation is 001, the access network node can look up table 3according to the code 001, to determine that the terminal is an M2Mterminal. If the code including 3 low-order bits of the octet 3 in theterminal information is 000, the access network node can look up table 3according to the code 000, to determine that the terminal is a normalterminal.

S505. The access network node sends a coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message to the terminal.

Features of the coverage-enhanced second packet paging message may be asfollows: More time domain resources are occupied for transmitting acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message than transmitting anon-coverage-enhanced second packet paging message. More frequencyresources are occupied for transmitting a coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message than transmitting a non-coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message. Transmit power for transmitting acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message is higher than transmitpower for transmitting a non-coverage-enhanced second packet pagingmessage. A modulation scheme used for transmitting a coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message is more robust than a modulation schemeused for transmitting a non-coverage-enhanced second packet pagingmessage. A coding scheme used for transmitting a coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message is more robust than a coding scheme usedfor transmitting a non-coverage-enhanced second packet paging message. Aquantity of bits used for transmitting a coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message is smaller than a quantity of bits used for transmittinga non-coverage-enhanced second packet paging message.

Further, when the terminal information in the first packet pagingmessage further includes the terminal coverage level, after the accessnetwork node determines, according to the terminal type included in thereceived first packet paging message, that the terminal is the M2Mterminal, S505 may be specifically as follows: The access network nodesends the coverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminalaccording to the terminal coverage level.

For example, a process of sending, by the access network node, thecoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal accordingto the terminal coverage level may be as follows: When the compositionmanner of the terminal information in the first packet paging messagereceived by the access network node is shown in table 4, if codeincluding 3 bits from the fourth bit to the sixth bit of the octet 3 inthe terminal information is 001, the access network node may first lookup table 5 according to the code 001, to determine that the terminalcoverage level is 10 dB coverage enhancement, that is, the accessnetwork node may determine that the coverage level required by theterminal is 10 dB coverage enhancement, and then may send thecoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal accordingto the determined 10 dB coverage enhancement.

According to the paging method provided in this embodiment of thepresent invention, after receiving a first packet paging message sent bya core network node, an access network node can determine, according tothe first packet paging message, whether a paged terminal is an M2Mterminal, and send a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message tothe terminal after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal. The access network node can determine a type of the pagedterminal by using the first packet paging message sent by the corenetwork node, and send a corresponding second packet paging message tothe terminal according to the determined type of the terminal.Therefore, after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal, the access network node sends the coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message to the terminal, and normal use of an M2M serviceof the terminal is ensured.

In addition, the first packet paging message sent by the core networknode to the access network node may further include a terminal coveragelevel. After receiving the first packet paging message, the accessnetwork node may send the coverage-enhanced second packet paging messageto the terminal according to the terminal coverage level included in thefirst packet paging message. In this way, the access network node maysend a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message of a correspondinglevel to the terminal according to a coverage requirement of theterminal, so that a paging success rate of the M2M terminal isincreased, and the normal use of the M2M service of the terminal isfurther ensured.

In another application scenario, information that is included in a firstpacket paging message and that is used to determine that a pagedterminal is an M2M terminal is an IMSI of the terminal. In this case, anaccess network node can determine a type of the paged terminal accordingto a pre-stored mapping table in the access network node and the IMSIthat is included in the received first packet paging message and that isof the terminal, and send a coverage-enhanced second packet pagingmessage to the terminal after determining that the paged terminal is theM2M terminal. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, this method may includethe following steps.

S601. The access network node receives a first packet paging messagesent by a core network node.

The first packet paging message includes an IMSI of a terminal, and thefirst packet paging message is used for paging the terminal.

After the access network node receives the first packet paging messagesent by the core network node, that the access network node candetermine, according to the first packet paging message, that theterminal is an M2M terminal may specifically include the followingsteps: S602 and S603.

S602. The access network node obtains a terminal type according to anIMSI and a pre-stored mapping table.

After the access network node receives the first packet paging messagesent by the core network node, the access network node may look up thepre-stored mapping table according to the IMSI that is included in thefirst packet paging message and that is of the terminal, to obtain theterminal type corresponding to the IMSI of the terminal.

The mapping table may include the IMSI of the terminal and the terminaltype corresponding to the IMSI of the terminal. A composition manner ofthe mapping table may be shown in table 6. In table 6, an IMSI 1indicates an IMSI of a first terminal, and an IMSI 2 indicates an IMSIof a second terminal. By analogy, an IMSI n indicates an IMSI of ann^(th) terminal. Terminal Type indicates a terminal type correspondingto an IMSI.

TABLE 6 IMSI Terminal Type IMSI 1 Normal Terminal IMSI 2 M2M Terminal .. . . . . IMSI n M2M Terminal

For example, a process of obtaining the IMSI that is included in themapping table and that is of the terminal, and the terminal typecorresponding to the IMSI may be as follows: The access network nodeobtains, according to registration information of the terminal, the IMSIof the terminal and the terminal type corresponding to the IMSI, andstores, in the mapping table, the obtained IMSI of the terminal and theobtained terminal type corresponding to the IMSI. For example, the IMSIof the terminal and the terminal type corresponding to the IMSI may beobtained by the access network node according to subscriptioninformation of the terminal, or the IMSI of the terminal and theterminal type corresponding to the IMSI may be obtained according to anupper-layer service used by the terminal.

Further, the mapping table further includes a terminal coverage levelcorresponding to the IMSI of the terminal. In this case, a compositionmanner of the mapping table may be shown in table 7, and Coverage Classindicates a terminal coverage level corresponding to an IMSI.

TABLE 7 IMSI Terminal Type Coverage Class IMSI 1 Normal Terminal No needcoverage enhancement IMSI 2 M2M Terminal 10 dB coverage enhancement . .. . . . . . . IMSI n M2M Terminal dB coverage enhancement

The access network node may obtain the terminal coverage levelcorresponding to the IMSI of the terminal when the terminal accesses anetwork, and store, in the mapping table, the obtained terminal coveragelevel corresponding to the IMSI. After the terminal accesses thenetwork, the terminal coverage level may change. Therefore, the accessnetwork node needs to update the terminal coverage level that is storedin the mapping table and that corresponds to the IMSI of the terminal.Specifically, when the terminal coverage level changes, a new coveragelevel that is of the terminal and that corresponds to the IMSI of theterminal may be obtained by the access network node in any one of thefollowing manners.

Manner 1: The access network node receives a new coverage level sent bythe terminal, and updates the terminal coverage level in the mappingtable according to the new coverage level.

The terminal may add, to messages such as a random access message, ameasurement report message, or uplink data, an extended informationelement that carries the new coverage level of the terminal, so as toreport the new coverage level of the terminal to the access networknode.

Manner 2: The access network node receives coverage information sent bythe terminal, determines a new coverage level according to the coverageinformation, and further updates the terminal coverage level in themapping table according to the new coverage level.

The terminal may add, to messages such as a random access message, ameasurement report message, or uplink data, an extended informationelement that carries the coverage information of the terminal. In thisway, the access network node can obtain the coverage information of theterminal according to the extended information element in the messagessuch as the random access message, the measurement report message, orthe uplink data, then determine the new coverage level of the terminalaccording to the obtained coverage information of the terminal, andupdate the terminal coverage level according to the new coverage level.For example, when the coverage information of the terminal is a receivelevel of a signal, if the coverage information that is of the terminaland that is obtained by the access network node by using the randomaccess message is −95 dBm, it indicates that the terminal is in anextremely poor coverage environment. In this case, the access networknode may determine a new coverage level of the terminal according to thecoverage information, for example, the determined new coverage level maybe 20 dB coverage enhancement.

S603. The access network node determines, according to the terminaltype, that a terminal is an M2M terminal.

The access network node may determine, according to the IMSI of theterminal and the pre-stored mapping table, whether the terminal is anM2M terminal. When the terminal is determined as an M2M terminal,perform S604. When the access network node determines that the terminalis a normal terminal, the access network node may send anon-coverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal.

For example, when the composition manner of the pre-stored mapping tablein the access network node is the manner shown in table 6, if the IMSIthat is included in the first packet paging message received by theaccess network node and that is of the terminal is the IMSI 2, theaccess network node may look up the pre-stored mapping table accordingto the IMSI 2, to determine that the terminal type is the M2M terminal.If the IMSI that is included in the first packet paging message receivedby the access network node and that is of the terminal is the IMSI 1,the access network node may look up the pre-stored mapping tableaccording to the IMSI 1, to determine that the terminal type is thenormal terminal.

S604. The access network node sends a coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message to the terminal.

Features of the coverage-enhanced second packet paging message may be asfollows: More time domain resources are occupied for transmitting acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message than transmitting anon-coverage-enhanced second packet paging message. More frequencyresources are occupied for transmitting a coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message than transmitting a non-coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message. Transmit power for transmitting acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message is higher than transmitpower for transmitting a non-coverage-enhanced second packet pagingmessage. A modulation scheme used for transmitting a coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message is more robust than a modulation schemeused for transmitting a non-coverage-enhanced second packet pagingmessage. A coding scheme used for transmitting a coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message is more robust than a coding scheme usedfor transmitting a non-coverage-enhanced second packet paging message. Aquantity of bits used for transmitting a coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message is smaller than a quantity of bits used for transmittinga non-coverage-enhanced second packet paging message.

Further, when the mapping table stored in the access network nodefurther includes a terminal coverage level corresponding to the IMSI ofthe terminal, after the access network node determines, according to themapping table stored in the access network node and the IMSI that isincluded in the received first packet paging message and that is of theterminal, that the paged terminal is the M2M terminal, S604 may bespecifically as follows: The access network node obtains the terminalcoverage level according to the IMSI and the mapping table, and sendsthe coverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminalaccording to the obtained terminal coverage level.

For example, when the composition manner of the pre-stored mapping tablein the access network node is the manner shown in table 7, if the IMSIthat is included in the first packet paging message received by theaccess network node from the core network node and that is of theterminal is the IMSI 2, the access network node looks up the pre-storedmapping table according to the IMSI 2, and can obtain the terminalcoverage level of 10 dB coverage enhancement.

According to the paging method provided in this embodiment of thepresent invention, after receiving a first packet paging message sent bya core network node, an access network node can determine, according tothe first packet paging message, whether a paged terminal is an M2Mterminal, and send a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message tothe terminal after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal. The access network node can determine a type of the pagedterminal by using the first packet paging message sent by the corenetwork node, and send a corresponding second packet paging message tothe terminal according to the determined type of the terminal.Therefore, after determining that the paged terminal is the M2Mterminal, the access network node sends the coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message to the terminal, and normal use of an M2M serviceof the terminal is ensured.

In addition, when a mapping table further includes a terminal coveragelevel, the access network node can determine, according to an IMSI ofthe terminal, the coverage level of the terminal that needs to be paged.In this way, the access network node may send a coverage-enhanced secondpacket paging message of a corresponding level to the terminal accordingto the obtained terminal coverage level. The access network node sends acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message of a corresponding levelto the terminal according to a coverage requirement of the terminal, sothat a paging success rate of the M2M terminal is increased, and thenormal use of the M2M service running on the terminal is furtherensured.

The foregoing descriptions about implementation manners allow a personskilled in the art to understand that, for the purpose of convenient andbrief description, division of the foregoing function modules is takenas an example for illustration. In actual application, the foregoingfunctions can be allocated to different modules and implementedaccording to a requirement, that is, an inner structure of an apparatusis divided into different function modules to implement all or part ofthe functions described above. For a detailed working process of theforegoing apparatus, reference may be made to a corresponding process inthe foregoing method embodiments, and details are not described hereinagain.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, itshould be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may beimplemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatusembodiment is merely an example. For example, the module or unitdivision is merely logical function division and may be other divisionin actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units orcomponents may be combined or integrated into another apparatus, or somefeatures may be ignored or not performed. In addition, the displayed ordiscussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communicationconnections may be implemented by using some interfaces. The indirectcouplings or communication connections between the apparatuses or unitsmay be implemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physicallyseparate, and parts displayed as units may be one or more physicalunits, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on differentplaces. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actualrequirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of theembodiments.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the presentinvention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each of theunits may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integratedinto one unit. The integrated unit may be implemented in a form ofhardware, or may be implemented in a form of a software functional unit.

When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a softwarefunctional unit and sold or used as an independent product, theintegrated unit may be stored in a readable storage medium. Based onsuch an understanding, the technical solutions of the present inventionessentially, or the part contributing to the prior art, or all or someof the technical solutions may be implemented in the form of a softwareproduct. The software product may be stored in a storage medium andincludes several instructions for instructing a device (which may be asingle-chip microcomputer, a chip or the like) or a processor to performall or some of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments ofthe present invention. The foregoing storage medium includes any mediumthat can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable harddisk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magneticdisk, or an optical disc.

The foregoing descriptions are merely specific implementation manners ofthe present invention, but are not intended to limit the protectionscope of the present invention. Any variation or replacement readilyfigured out by a person skilled in the art within the technical scopedisclosed in the present invention shall fall within the protectionscope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of thepresent invention shall be subject to the protection scope of theclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An access network node, comprising acommunications interface, a processor, a transmitter, and anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium includingcomputer-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:receiving, by the communications interface, a first packet pagingmessage used for paging a terminal and sent by a core network node;determining, by the processor, according to the first packet pagingmessage received by the communications interface, that the terminal is amachine to machine (M2M) terminal; and sending, by the transmitter, acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal.
 2. Theaccess network node according to claim 1, wherein the first packetpaging message comprises terminal information of the terminal, and theterminal information comprises a terminal type; and the determining, bythe processor, according to the first packet paging message received bythe communications interface, that the terminal is a machine to machine(M2M) terminal comprises: determining, according to the terminal typecomprised in the terminal information, that the terminal is an M2Mterminal.
 3. The access network node according to claim 2, wherein theterminal information further comprises a terminal coverage level, andthe coverage level is used by the access network node to determine acoverage enhancement level when the access network node pages theterminal; and the sending, by the transmitter, a coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message to the terminal comprises: sending thecoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminal accordingto the terminal coverage level.
 4. The access network node according toclaim 3, further comprising a receiver, wherein the operations furthercomprise one of: receiving, by the receiver, a new coverage level sentby the terminal, and sending, by the communications interface, to thecore network node, the new coverage level received by the receiver;receiving, by the receiver, coverage information sent by the terminal,determining, by the processor, a new coverage level according to thecoverage information received by the receiver, and sending, by thecommunications interface, to the core network node, the determined newcoverage level; and receiving, by the receiver, coverage informationsent by the terminal, and sending, by the communications interface, tothe core network node, the coverage information received by thereceiver.
 5. The access network node according to claim 1, wherein thefirst packet paging message comprises an international mobile subscriberidentity (IMSI) of the terminal; and the determining, by the processor,according to the first packet paging message, that the terminal is amachine to machine (M2M) terminal comprises: obtaining a terminal typeaccording to the IMSI and a pre-stored mapping table, wherein themapping table comprises the IMSI and the terminal type corresponding tothe IMSI; and determining, according to the terminal type, that theterminal is an M2M terminal.
 6. The access network node according toclaim 5, wherein the mapping table further comprises a terminal coveragelevel corresponding to the IMSI; and the sending, by the transmitter, acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminalcomprises: obtaining the terminal coverage level according to the IMSIand the mapping table, and sending the coverage-enhanced second packetpaging message to the terminal according to the terminal coverage level.7. The access network node according to claim 6, further comprising areceiver, wherein the operations further comprise one of: receiving, bythe receiver, a new coverage level sent by the terminal, and updating,by the processor, the terminal coverage level in the mapping tableaccording to the new coverage level received by the receiver; andreceiving, by the receiver, coverage information sent by the terminal,and determining, by the processor, a new coverage level according to thecoverage information received by the receiver, and updating the terminalcoverage level in the mapping table according to the new coverage level.8. A core network node, comprising a communications interface, aprocessor, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumincluding computer-executable instructions to perform operationscomprising: sending, by the communications interface, a first packetpaging message to an access network node, wherein the first packetpaging message is used for paging a terminal, the first packet pagingmessage comprises terminal information of the terminal, and the terminalinformation comprises a terminal type.
 9. The core network nodeaccording to claim 8, wherein the terminal information further comprisesa terminal coverage level, and the coverage level is used by the accessnetwork node to determine a coverage enhancement level when the accessnetwork node pages the terminal.
 10. The core network node according toclaim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: obtaining, by theprocessor, the terminal information according to an international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI) of the terminal and a pre-stored mappingtable before the first packet paging message is sent to the accessnetwork node by using the communications interface, wherein the mappingtable comprises the IMSI and the terminal information that correspondsto the IMSI of the terminal.
 11. The core network node according toclaim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving, by thecommunications interface, a new coverage level sent by the accessnetwork node, and updating, by the processor, the terminal coveragelevel in the terminal information according to the new coverage levelreceived by using the communications interface.
 12. The core networknode according to claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:receiving, by the communications interface, coverage information sent bythe access network node, and determining, by the processor, a newcoverage level according to the coverage information received by usingthe communications interface, and updating the terminal coverage levelin the terminal information according to the new coverage level.
 13. Apaging method, comprising: receiving, by an access network node, a firstpacket paging message sent by a core network node, wherein the firstpacket paging message is used for paging a terminal; determining, by theaccess network node according to the first packet paging message, thatthe terminal is a machine to machine (M2M) terminal; and sending, by theaccess network node, a coverage-enhanced second packet paging message tothe terminal.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the firstpacket paging message comprises terminal information of the terminal,and the terminal information comprises a terminal type; and thedetermining, by the access network node according to the first packetpaging message, that the terminal is a machine to machine (M2M) terminalcomprises: determining, by the access network node according to theterminal type comprised in the terminal information, that the terminalis an M2M terminal.
 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein theterminal information further comprises a terminal coverage level, andthe coverage level is used by the access network node to determine acoverage enhancement level when the access network node pages theterminal; and the sending, by the access network node, acoverage-enhanced second packet paging message to the terminalcomprises: sending, by the access network node, the coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message to the terminal according to the terminalcoverage level.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the methodfurther comprises one of: receiving, by the access network node, a newcoverage level sent by the terminal, and sending the new coverage levelto the core network node; receiving, by the access network node,coverage information sent by the terminal, determining a new coveragelevel according to the coverage information, and sending the newcoverage level to the core network node; and receiving, by the accessnetwork node, coverage information sent by the terminal, and sending thecoverage information to the core network node.
 17. The method accordingto claim 13, wherein the first packet paging message comprises aninternational mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the terminal; and thedetermining, by the access network node according to the first packetpaging message, that the terminal is a machine to machine (M2M) terminalcomprises: obtaining, by the access network node, a terminal typeaccording to the IMSI and a pre-stored mapping table, wherein themapping table comprises the IMSI and the terminal type corresponding tothe IMSI; and determining, by the access network node according to theterminal type, that the terminal is an M2M terminal.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 17, wherein the mapping table further comprises aterminal coverage level corresponding to the IMSI; and the sending, bythe access network node, a coverage-enhanced second packet pagingmessage to the terminal comprises: obtaining, by the access networknode, the terminal coverage level according to the IMSI and the mappingtable; and sending, by the access network node, the coverage-enhancedsecond packet paging message to the terminal according to the terminalcoverage level.
 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the methodfurther comprises one of: receiving, by the access network node, a newcoverage level sent by the terminal, and updating, by the access networknode, the terminal coverage level in the mapping table according to thenew coverage level; and receiving, by the access network node, coverageinformation sent by the terminal, and determining a new coverage levelaccording to the coverage information, and updating, by the accessnetwork node, the terminal coverage level in the mapping table accordingto the new coverage level.